CES 2014: stuff you could actually use

Beyond all the bizarre concepts and works in progress, we pick the trends from the Vegas show that could actually be part of your digital lifestyle

The mother of all consumer tech shows – CES – has just wrapped up. We look beyond all those bizarre concepts and works in progress and pick out the trends from the Vegas supershow that could actually be part of your digital lifestyle this year.

Gathering steam: 2014 might tell if that new device – the Steam machine – is going to be the next big thing in gaming or whether these devices will quickly find their way to eBay. The biggest challenge is to integrate into living rooms where gaming consoles currently tango with larger than life flat screen TVs. A total of 13 steam gaming devices were showcased at CES; the hardware checks all boxes but it’s the user experience that will be the key to bring ‘cool’ back to PC gaming. With 65 million active users, Steam looks all set to go mainstream.

Windows meets Android: It’s tough to say whether Samsung sought inspiration from Windows 8.1’s tiles or whether we are seeing an evolved avatar of Samsung’s Touch Wiz on the all-new Galaxy NotePro. This 12.2-inch tablet has all of the kickass hardware that we’ve come to expect from Sammy, including a boggling 2560 x 1600 pixel screen resolution. But the real story is its Flipboard-style interface with customizable tiles that could change the way we use our tablets this year.

Curves are back: Forget the battle for the remote – the big fight in living rooms will soon be for a spot in the centre. Cinema-style curved OLED TVs are clearly the next big thing, where LG and Samsung showed off several of their latest versions this year. LG recently launched its first curved OLED TV in India and the company stole the scene at Vegas with its behemoth of a 77-inch, 4K resolution show stopper. And it bends to become a flat screen just in case you miss that old school TV viewing experience.

Cope with withdrawal symptoms: If you are one of the many BB addicts who reluctantly took your first bite of Apple, you probably miss the speed of the QWERTY keyboard of your ex (device). The ‘Typo Keyboard case’ adds a fully functional keyboard to your iPhone 5 or 5S and also doubles up as a protective shell. Now you can text the same way you used to – from the shower to the treadmill with those smudgy fingers. The company has already attracted a lawsuit from Blackberry but that hasn’t stopped the pre-orders from pouring in.

Finally, a smart watch that looks like… a watch: Most smart watches from 2013 were reminiscent of dinky toys; maybe that’s why most people didn’t take them seriously. The Pebble steel finally broke away from this trend with an elegant design that won’t look out of place at a board room. The functionality might not have changed but the metal chassis with a choice of black matte or brushed stainless chain might finally see more of us finally embrace wearable tech this year.

…and one for this year’s wish list: The invisible car in Die Another Day might have been the silliest James Bond ride ever, but Audi showed off a self-driving car that actually drove itself on to the stage at CES. Audi’s complex zFAS system integrates the vehicle’s radar, video cameras, laser scanner and ultra-sonic data from the front and sides of the car. It might not be ready for commercial production anytime soon but when it does happen you might never be late for a meeting; step out and simply send your car off to go look for a parking spot.